Caspian Surfer

When Daughter was very young, she learned the word "puppy". Almost immediately, Daughter began asking for her very own puppy. Tio and Abuelo (Uncle and Grandpa) were Very Happy about this and began immediately to scheme to get a puppy to Daughter. These plans came to a screeching halt when Daddy made it clear that Daddy was NOT going to take care of a puppy and anybody that gave Daughter a puppy would get it right back.

Time passed. As Daughter grew older she continued to ask for a puppy. Undaunted, Daddy remained resolute. In a slick move, Tio gave Daughter a beta (fish) for Christmas 2004. This seemed to placate Daughter somewhat, so Daddy and Mommy bought a (cheap) fishtank and a few toys for the fish (Alexander).

Invariably, when Tio would call, he would ask Daddy "Is Alexander still alive?" (apparently betas in captivity have a ridiculously short life span) - to always the same answer "(heavy sigh) Yep." . Daughter had to feed Alexander (because Daddy was NOT going to do it). Daughter had to occassionally change Alexander's water (with Daddy's help - no need for unnecessary heartbreak). Later, Daughter even made Alexander some additional "scenery" for his tank. This was fashioned out of Play-Dough. (a word to the wise - don't put Play-Dough in a fish tank - it gets slimy quicker than anything else in the tank)

Fast forward to Friday, May 12, 2006 when Providence, Friendship and Internet came together ("conspired" sounds so harsh) to present a unique opportunity to Mommy and Daddy. (start reading this saga on May 11 http://hudbuds.blogspot.com/ ) Providence (in the form of a pack of dogs) chased a scared puppy to the house of Mr & Mrs Friendship. Mrs Friendship used Internet photographs and email to alert Mommy and Daddy of a "learning opportunity" for Daughter. (Mr & Mrs Friendship Knew that Mommy and Daddy love "learning opportunities") After discussing the pros and cons, Mommy and Daddy decided that "the Day has arrived". Saturday Mrs Friendship did Mommy and Daddy a HUGE favor and took puppy to the vet and Mr & Mrs Friendship helped Mommy & Daddy set up Daughter for a huge surprise. Needless to say, Daughter was ecstatic! Puppy was dubbed "Caspian" (in honor of Prince Caspian of Narnia fame) and before reaching home, Daughter announced that Caspian's middle name was "Surfer".

(Note the shock of blond on the top of Caspian Surfer's head)

Caspian now has run of most of the house. Carpeted areas (read:bedrooms) are still off-limits. Caspian sleeps in the hall in front of Daughter's room with a baby gate in the doorway.

As a side note, Sunday afternoon Mommy, Daddy & Daughter returned home to find a bite in the vertical blinds and a new "peephole" torn in one of the (cheap) horizontal blinds. Caspian is a very smart dog and we don't foresee any future problems. Mr Friendship loaned Daddy an instructional DVD (its been 30 years since Daddy has had a dog) and it has proved most helpful.

Much more dramatic was the discovery of Alexander, floating in his fish bowl. A thorough investigation was conducted and it was concluded that Caspian was in no way culpable - apparently Alexander's number was finally up.

Now Mommy is trying to decide what to plant in Alexander's former home. The pictured empty fish bowl was an upgrade from the original fish tank and a gift from Mommy's best friend. (Its much bigger than it looks)